We Go Down Together [ ENGLISH VERSION ]

33. Youth

The memories of all the lives pass for Kit, and in each one she meets Jade, in each one she loves her with all the intensity present in her soul, and in each life she perishes at the hands of Bavmorda or the servants of the Wyrm.

There have been so many lives together, that Kit loses count after a while, and when she reaches her last life, where she is Kit Tanthalos, princess of Tir Asleen and a direct descendant of Bavmorda herself, she forgets that she is just revisiting memories, she forgets the spell and she forgets Raziel.

And as she lives among her memories, she gets lost and decides to stay.

She would never leave, not when this time in this life everything seems perfect, she has entire decades with Jade, both of them adventuring kingdoms and new lands before finally making their home in their small cabin in the middle of the forest.

Kit is cleaning Eclipse's hooves when a strong sense of déjà vu overtakes her, causing her to stop and look around.

She sees Jade approaching.

- I think they're clean enough already- Jade says, startling Kit. - Unless you want me to clean the sensitive skin on their paws.

Kit frowns, the feeling that she's seen this before freaking her out, but she brushes it aside.

- Ah, well- she says, - I guess my work here is done then.

Jade smiles, stepping closer to Kit and running her hand through Kit's hair.

- Come inside- she says, -I could use a trim on that wild hair, and besides, you need a bath, you stink like a horse.

Kit laughs and nudges her wife.

- You should give me a kiss then- she says, stepping forward towards Jade.

- By the gods- Jade laughs, running away, -No, Kit, not until you get that smell off of you.

Kit laughs and walks into her cabin, her smile widening at the smell of the muffins Jade made, muffins the ones Elora taught her to make and ...

She stops, seeing the muffins on the table, she immediately feels the name come up on her lips, asking to be said out loud.

- Elora Dannan - She whispers.

Her head spins and she moves forward through her memories, which pass quickly, lived with eagerness and confusion.

She suddenly finds herself facing the Crone, who has her hands on Kit's skull.

- Do you join the Order of the Wyrm, Kit Tanthalos? - She asks.

- Never - Kit says and strikes a blow from her sword at the Crone, stabbing the blade into the corpse woman's torso.

A phrase in pnakotic, a spell.

The spell makes Kit fall to her knees, the air vanishing from her lungs.

Jade is not there, she is outside the temple, fighting with Elora against Crone's servants.

She's completely alone there.

And she dies alone as Crone takes her own sword and drives it into Kit's chest, ripping life from her, once again, in that sickening cycle of the curse.

But the memory doesn't end, even though the life is gone from Kit's body, she remains there, like a ghost out of her own body, as the Crone disappears and after a minute, she hears Jade calling her in a cheerful voice.

- Kit! Kit! We made it!

She stops at the temple entrance as she sees Kit's body, blood forming a puddle around her, her body still warm.

- No- Jade mutters, running toward Kit, -no, no, no, not again!

She drops to her knees and lifts Kit into her arms, shaking her and feeling her heartbeat.

Tears fill her eyes as she realizes her beloved is dead.

The cry that escapes Jade's lips causes Kit's heart to shatter into a thousand shards, she may have revisited all the memories and lived each of her lives, but before this, she would come back with no memories of her later life.

Jade, on the other hand. she had to watch Kit die every time and carry the pain and the knowledge of what would happen to her, every time.

She watches as Jade leans over Kit's body, soiling herself with her blood as she embraces her, her violent sobs shuddering through her body, and the most painful of cries echoing through the temple.

- I'm so tired- Jade whispers, - I'm tired Kit, please don't do this to me, not again, please.

Light comes out of nowhere, coming from deep within the temple and blinding Kit, lifting her back to reality and ripping the last of her memories from her.

+++

Kit opens her eyes, she is on the floor, at some point during the ritual she lost consciousness.

Raziel approaches, lifting Kit up and making sure she's okay.

But Kit's mind is foggy, suddenly all those thousands of memories taking too much space in her mind, making her confused and lost, she doesn't know who she is, not in her essence, she had a thousand lives and in all of them, she was the same Kit, but so different every time.

- You're exhausted - Raziel says laying her down on a bed - Rest Kit, we'll take care of the rest when you wake up.

Raziel doesn't need to repeat himself twice before Kit falls into a deep and heavy sleep, leaving all lives and memories behind, giving herself up to the peace of unconsciousness.